China is expected to win its second diving gold at Beijing Olympic Games in the men's 10-meter platform synchronized event to be held on Monday.
Teenager divers Lin Yue and Huo Liang, 17 and 18 respectively, will try to grab China's second diving gold following "diving queen" Guo Jingjing and Wu Minxia retained their women's 3m springboard synchro here on Sunday.
Lin and Huo, winner of the men's 10m platform synchronized in 2007 Melbourne World Championships and 2008 World Cup, is the hot favorite on Monday's final.
They will meet some challenge from Russian pair Gleb Galperin and Dmitriy Dobroskok, silver medallists in the 2007 Melbourne Worlds. Galperin is also the winner of the 10m platform individual event in Melbourne.
Australian duo Robert Newbery and Mathew Helm, bronze medallists of the event in 2004 Athens Olympics, are also in the start list. The pair had once retired after the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne but came back in mid-2007. They have teamed up since the 2000 Oympic Games in Sydney.
British diving wunderkind Thomas Daley is also expecting his Olympic debut on Monday. The 14-year-old, youngest diver at the Water Cube, eyes to make a splash with his partner Blake Aldridge.
The British pair visited the Water Cube in the 2008 World Cup on February and took the bronze in the event. They also earned a gold at the World Series in Britain this year.
China expects to make a clean sweep of all diving gold medals in the Water Cube on home soil, and the Chinese divers flexed their muscles by sweeping all eight golds during the last meet of the FINA Diving Grand Prix in Rome earlier on July.
China has dominated diving for years. They claimed five golds at the 2000 Sydeny Olympics and took a record six four years ago in Athens, contributing more Olympic golds for China than other sports.
(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2008)